Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Toy Drawing 5: Popeye Toy Turnaround

I can't think of a better drawing exercise for an animation student than to draw a toy of a classic cartoon character from different angles.I drew mine too big and cut off the feet.
I would love to see cartoonists start to use some perspective in their cartoon drawings speaking of feet.
Note that the bottom of his feet aren't cut off on a straight line like you see in many cartoons today. That's the worst (and ugliest) cheat I have ever seen in cartoons. It means anyone can be an instant cartoonist.
If you are going to copy this, I suggest you don't try to "fix" it or put it "on-model". Whenever copying anything for study purposes - draw what you see - and FEEL.
This has construction just like a classic cartoon character, but the proportions are different than the cartoons. And the shapes are more rubbery looking because it's a toy. Try to capture the feel of that (without shading).
These are the easy angles. If I see anyone who's done good drawings of this turnaround, maybe I'll put up the harder angles next.

Thanks to the few folks who put their spinach where their pipe-holes are!